A vehicle includes a body and, upon a side impact of a vehicle, an impact force created from the side impact may be delivered to the body, and the body may absorb some of the impact force during the side impact. The body is designed to provide structural rigidity to prevent unwanted deformation and/or to prevent intrusion during an impact.
For example, a battery electric vehicle includes a battery and the body may be designed to reinforce a battery compartment in which the battery is supported. For example, the body may include a pair of sills spaced from each other and extending in a vehicle-fore-and-aft direction to define the battery compartment between the sills. The battery may be disposed beneath a passenger compartment and between the pair of sills, e.g., in a battery compartment between the sills. The weight and location of the battery changes the weight distribution of the vehicle, and the corresponding impact deformation, in comparison to an internal combustion vehicle. In addition, the battery is susceptible to damage caused by body intrusion during an impact, e.g., during a side impact.